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In August 2008, while he was still a Senator and a
presidential candidate, Barack Obama acknowledged
the presence of slavery, in various forms, in the
United States.
"Sadly, there are thousands who are trapped in various
forms of enslavement here in our country," Obama
said.
For many people, slavery is a relic of the past. But in
recognizing that modern-day forms of slavery exist
in the United States and elsewhere, President Obama
reminded us that no country is immune from the human
traffickers who prey on the vulnerable. Victims
being trafficked to brothels, factories, and fields,
suffer abuses and exploitation at the hands of pimps
and unscrupulous employers. Where there are people
made vulnerable by poverty, disaster, or the
breakdown of the rule of law, traffickers will
follow in their wake.
Over the past decade, the United States has worked to raise
awareness of the global buying and selling of human
beings. But this is not a new issue. Almost 150
years ago, the United States prohibited slavery and
involuntary servitude, and decreed that people were
entitled to freedom as a civil right. In 2000, the
United States updated its laws to cover more
comprehensively the concept of involuntary servitude
- when a person is maintained in service through
force or coercion.
Like the law in the US, the United Nations Protocol to
Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children advances the notion
that for an effective anti-trafficking strategy,
victim protection is as important as prosecution.
Many of the best practices for serving victims and
punishing traffickers flow from the experiences of
survivors themselves. It is their stories that drive
the efforts of the United States to prevent the
victimization of men, women, and children around the
world. We must ensure that their stories are told.
We
can never forget the words of a 15 year-old girl
from a case that was prosecuted in the United
States.
She told the judge: "I was so scared. I would try to
hide from them so they would not pick me. The bosses
told me I had to work and to stop behaving in this
manner. Also, the bosses would rape some of the
other girls. This scared me. I was afraid they might
rape me or hurt me in some other way. I did not know
anyone. I was alone."
Globally, there are countless of people like her,
who suffer in silence because they feel trapped and
alone. If they think of police, it is often with
fear, not with the promise of rescue. When they
think of non-governmental organizations, it is as a
safe harbour which they rarely know how to reach.
Their path to freedom begins with the idea that they
are not alone, that someone cares about protecting
them and punishing their abuser.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made it clear
that the United States stands ready to be a friend
to the girl in prostitution, the boy unlawfully
conscripted as a soldier or forced to beg on the
streets, the servant trapped in the house, and the
labourers forced to suffer in the fields. Secretary
Clinton recently released the ninth annual
Trafficking in Persons Report. This report is not
just an assessment of governments' efforts to combat
human trafficking. It is a call to action.
Countries willing to answer that call have a willing
partner in the United States. The report is an
effective tool in building consensus and
collaboration with other governments to address root
causes and emerging trends in human trafficking.
This year, the report casts additional light on
subtle manifestations of coercion and contributing
factors that underpin modern-day slavery, including
fraudulent practices in the labour recruitment and
migration process, and abuse of laws - such as
immigration laws - to coerce and deceive workers
into not seeking help.
For example, a woman without legal immigration
status, who works as a waitress, can be pressured by
her bosses into prostitution, under the threat of
being turned over to authorities for deportation. A
man who owes a large debt to his labour broker may
feel he has no choice but to put up with abuse. The
power of such threats may have been exacerbated by
the global financial crisis, which threatens to
claim even greater numbers of victims and stretch
thin already weak structures that offer potential
victims remedies from their involuntary servitude.
The United States stands ready to partner with
willing governments, civil society, international
organizations, and the private sector to leverage
available resources and collective expertise to
strengthen our response to those suffering in
bondage.
Their cries for help can no longer go unheeded. They
demand immediate and effective action.
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